Dr. Robert L. Jones, a Russellville native, was recently honored by Mississippi State University (MSU), which dedicated the Robert L. Jones Student Affairs Hall of Honor on March 20.

The event, which included an induction ceremony and dinner, recognized four retired MSU emeriti professors and outstanding student affairs professionals, including Jones.

Jones, who currently resides in Tyler, Texas, is the second son of the late Ralph N. Jones and Jane Smith Jones, lifelong residents of Russellville, and grandson of the late Dr. Robert Louis Smith, founding owner and head surgeon of Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. He graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1950 and then pursued a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas (U of A).

Serving as school principal at Washington Elementary School from 1955-57, he was employed by the U of A in a number of roles, including Dean of Men. As an active National Guard member, he was called into active service during the Korean War, serving two winters in the Seventh Division Artillery. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star. After his return to the U of A, he completed his Ph. D in 1966. Jones also served as vice president for hospital administration at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Jones began nearly two decades of service at MSU in 1967, when he was hired as the university’s first vice president for student affairs, with the charge to initiate and implement a modern, professional organization to meet the needs of a rapidly changing and growing student body.

Jones was challenged immediately to defuse and successfully redirect students’ activities in the midst of society’s upheavals. Some of these volatile themes included the Civil Rights Movement, the Jackson State and Kent State tragedies, the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, the Vietnam War protests, and the Women’s Liberation activities, including Title IX implementation. The Student Affairs Division continues to reflect and benefit from the groundbreaking work performed by Jones and others.

“Their innovative ideas, best-practice concepts, and strong, focused leadership continues to serve the institution into the 21st century,” Dr. Bill Kibler, current Student Affairs Division vice president, said. “Our new Hall of Honor pays tribute to those who provided sustained and distinguished service to Mississippi State University.”

Jones left behind a “legacy of success and growth,” reflected in the university’s current 20,000-plus student body enrollment, Mississippi’s largest university.

After leaving MSU, Jones served at The University of Texas at Tyler as vice president for administration and as chief student affairs officer from 1984-94. Jones resumed full-time graduate teaching in 1994, as professor in higher education leadership at UT-Tyler. Jones retired in 2000 as professor emeritus. Jones has been honored by UT-Tyler as the namesake of the Robert L. Jones Student Leadership Award, an annual honor bestowed on an outstanding, peer-selected student leader.

Additionally, the state of Mississippi recognizes an annual peer-selected recipient for the Mississippi Association of Higher Education’s Robert L. Jones Professional Leadership Award. Jones is a past president of the Southern Association of College Student Affairs (a 15-state professional organization).

He was also a charter member of The National Vice Presidents Group, a 22-member “think tank” in student affairs in higher education, initiated in 1967.